32. Ava

THIRTY-TWO

AVA

Years ago, Liam had explained to me how fast shifters could heal. They were immune to tons of diseases, never got colds or the flu, and didn't really even gain weight, no matter what they ate. It was difficult to comprehend. So, even knowing how it worked, I was still astonished by how quickly Blayne recovered.

Once he was home and able to get up and move and eat what he wanted, he improved rapidly. Every morning when he woke, it was like he'd taken another step toward perfect health. It had been two weeks since they'd discharged him, and other than a scar on his chest and on his side, you couldn't tell anything had ever happened. It was bizarre. I was happy about it, but it was crazy to watch. If those injuries had happened to a human, they would have been in physical therapy for at least a year. Hell, they might have still been in the hospital. I wasn't going to complain about it, though. Too much in my life had gone wrong for me to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Blayne and I had spent almost every waking minute together since he'd gotten out of the hospital. I felt safe when I was around him. I'd almost convinced myself that if I could see him, nothing bad could happen. On the few occasions he left the house without me, I freaked out and worried.

When he told me he was going to the office to check in with the guys, I told him it was fine. I didn't want to be clingy and make it seem like he couldn't have any freedom, but my anxiety was off the charts.

"I'll be fine, Ava," Blayne said.

"Okay, sure, but what if you aren't?" The familiar flutter of panic built in my chest.

Blayne sat beside me, taking my hand. He'd been understanding. He'd been the one who'd gotten shot. He'd been stabbed and almost died. Except that now it seemed like he was the one taking care of me. Like I was the one who was fragile and recovering when it should have been the other way around.

"Ava, I won't be gone for long. If you need to, you can call or text me every five minutes for reassurance. If you do, I swear I'll answer."

I took a breath and realized he was right. The danger was over, he was healed, and he was only going a couple of miles. "Okay. You're right. Go see your friends."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

After Blayne left, I turned the TV on. Without some kind of background noise, the house was way too quiet. The first channel I clicked on was a news station.

I gasped. They were talking about Antonio. He'd been fairly big news the last month. It wasn't every day that a billionaire went missing. I turned the volume up to hear the news anchor.

"—missing over a month. Mr. Lowry, as some of our viewers may remember, lost his daughter Marianna Lowry some months ago. Today, we learn that the mystery to his disappearance has come to a conclusion, tragic though it may be.

"An anonymous letter arrived at Mr. Lowry's lawyer's office, stating that the loss of his family was too much. The letter, the contents of which we've obtained here at Channel Nine, goes on to allude to suicide. It seems Antonio Lowry took his own life. He had his body cremated and his ashes scattered with those of his daughter."

I snorted. It was a funny irony that Dad's guys put that in the letter. In actuality, Antonio really had been cremated. Except Tate had done it, not a mortician.

The letter had been well-researched. One of Dad's guys had studied hundreds of samples of Antonio's handwriting and used some of Antonio's vocabulary quirks to make it as legitimate as possible. Without a body, and with no motive, there was no way his death could be traced back to us—at least, we were ninety-nine percent sure that was the case. We'd never know for sure. We had to hope that we'd covered our tracks as much as possible.

Uncle Sam said our FBI contact had assured us that none of the government agencies really gave a shit about Antonio being dead. Especially not after we showed them all the dirt they'd dug up on him. They looked at it as a good trade-off.

The only good thing to come of his death was that his will had a clause stating that his fortune was to be donated to charity. In reality, Antonio hadn't had a will. The fucker probably thought he'd never die. He seemed like the type who thought he could buy his way out of anything—including death.

Dad had forged the will. He'd paid off a notary to help, then had it checked by one of his own lawyers. It should hold up, especially seeing as how Antonio had no blood relatives to dispute it.

The rest of the news report went on making him sound like some kind of saint. The second coming of Mother Teresa or something. Disgusted, I turned the television off.

Blayne got back an hour later, looking excited. "Hey. How was it while I was gone?"

"Fine. You look like you have news. Spill it."

He grinned and sat beside me. "I talked to Tate and your uncles. Several of the hunters had outstanding warrants and are officially in custody. The rest, though they were involved, will probably get off with even a halfway-decent lawyer. The feds and your dad put the fear of God into them and sent them on their way with a hefty pay-off from Antonio's funds."

"What about the ones who got away?" I asked.

Antonio had sent almost his entire army of hunters to Lilly Valley for the final showdown, but there'd been a few who were in other parts of the country, and some who'd escaped the final battle when they saw we were winning.

"Haven't heard anything. They're still out there, but without Antonio's fortune, contacts, and resources, they won't be much trouble. I can't see them mounting any type of secondary attack. They'll lay low. Hopefully, it'll stay that way."

That was a relief to hear. It would be nice to live without looking over our shoulders. "Are you hungry?" I asked. "I was gonna make something for dinner."

"Oh my God, I'm ravenous."

We spent the next hour relaxing as we made dinner. Blayne helped chop vegetables and make a salad. The whole time we were in the kitchen, a question kept nagging at me. I wanted to ask him, but wasn't sure about the best way to bring the subject up.

Once we were eating, I decided that I'd need to spit it out the way I did when I asked about having babies.

"Blayne?"

"Yeah?" He set his wine glass down and took a bite of the roast chicken.

"Do you plan on claiming me?"

Blayne almost choked on his food. He coughed and swallowed once he'd recovered. He wiped his mouth and grinned. "Christ, Ava, you've gotta stop springing shit like that on me while I'm eating."

My cheeks went red. "Uh, yeah, sorry. I just had to get it out."

Blayne tossed his napkin down on his plate and looked at me across the table. He raised an eyebrow. "The answer is yes. I do. I'd planned on making it really romantic and a surprise, but since you seem eager…" He raised an eyebrow.

He stared at me, and the hunger in his eyes smoldered with a fiery desire I didn't typically see from him. This was something more.

My lips twitched into a faint smile. I giggled and leaped up from the table.

Blayne slid his chair back and chased me around the table. We were laughing by the time he play-tackled me onto the couch. He rolled me over and looked deeply into my eyes, the smile fading from his lips.

"I love you so much, Ava. I hope you know how much I mean that."

Raising a hand, I caressed his cheek, the heat of desire already pulsing between my legs. "I do. I love you. More than anything."

With a growl, he leaned forward and kissed me. There was urgency and need in that kiss that reciprocated what I felt.

I grabbed at his belt, tugging the leather and pulling down the metal tab. Within seconds, I had his cock in my hands, feeling his heartbeat through the warm flesh.

Blayne groaned as I stroked him. He was throbbing and rock-hard beneath my touch.

He tugged at my shirt, lifting it up until my breasts were free. He bent his head, and the warm slippery sensation of his tongue and lips on my nipples made me gasp. Pleasure tickled across my skin like static electricity. I wriggled until Blayne's cock was rubbing against the thin fabric of my leggings, stroking my clit through the material. God, I was desperate to have him inside me.

Blayne pulled himself free of my hands and stood to yank his pants all the way down. In his haste, he didn't even bother to fully remove them. He grabbed the waistbands of my leggings and thong and slid them down my legs. Before I could blink, his mouth was buried in my pussy. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he worked at my clit, running his tongue across it and sucking it. The world spun and vibrated in my mind as he kept going. I murmured nonsense and dug my fingers into the fabric of the couch. When I came, it would be like a grenade going off in my mind. My orgasm rose, inch by inch, every second, nearing the crescendo.

All I could do was lie back and enjoy. My breath hitched in my chest each time his tongue twisted or turned or flicked across my pussy.

"You better fuck me soon," I whispered.

Taking it as a challenge, Blayne lifted his face and climbed atop the couch. With a grin, he thrust his pulsing cock into me.

All the breath rushed out of my lungs as he filled me. Gasping for air, I bucked my hips up to meet his strokes.

This was love-making, but more intense—almost animalistic. Our skin made clapping sounds as he slammed into me. I wrapped my legs around him, digging my heels into his ass and pulling him deeper into me with every thrust. My nails dug into the flesh of his back.

Blayne licked and sucked at my neck, his free hand clutching my breast and his fingers pinching my nipple. It sent waves of agonizing pleasure through my body. For a few minutes, it was like the whole world had vanished. All that existed was Blayne, me, and our ecstasy.

Blayne grunted in exertion, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked into my eyes. "Can I claim you? Mmmm, oh fuck. I'm gonna come soon, and I want to claim you."

I nodded. "Yes. I want it. Do it. Claim me."

Even in the midst of his own pleasure, Blayne smiled. Then, he lowered his head and bit into the soft spot between my neck and shoulder. His teeth pierced my flesh. It should have been agonizing, but instead, it sent me over the edge. I came so hard that I couldn't even scream or call out. I groaned and jerked against him, all the heat in my body rushing to my face. I could feel the veins in my neck pulsing as I rode the cresting and falling wave of my climax.

Blayne shuddered in my arms, and I could feel the spasm and twitch of his cock as he came inside me.

The electric tingle in my neck where he'd bit me was already fading as we lay together, trying to catch our breath. I wrapped myself around him and laid my head back on the armrest of the couch. I stroked his back, my fingers slipping through the sweat of his body.

"So…is that all you've got?" I asked, grinning.

Blayne's head jerked up and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you wait. Once we go back to finish dinner and I get fueled up, I'll show you how good round two can be."

We laughed for a long time, our limbs tangled together.

A few days later, it was looking more and more certain that we'd fully broken the curse. I hadn't changed, and nothing seemed any different. As far as we could tell, I was never going to be a shifter, and we wouldn't be having children. After discussing it with Blayne, he was disappointed but seemed to have made peace with it. I made a show of acting the same, but deep inside, I was devastated. Not only would I never experience what it was like to live life as a shifter, like the man I loved, but it meant we would never have kids of our own. That was a realization that hurt more than I thought it would.

Multiple times, I found myself crying over the loss. Blayne never saw—I made sure my mini-breakdowns took place while he was at work or while I was in the bathroom.

Almost a week after he claimed me, I stood at the sink washing dishes from dinner and trying to figure out the best way to talk to him about my feelings. It was not healthy to keep them bottled up. He needed to know how sad I was, but I didn't want him to think it was his fault. He was the one who'd asked me to break the curse. The last thing I wanted was to saddle him with guilt over something neither of us had any control over.

I was scrubbing a pot when I suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy. Dizzy enough that I dropped the pot back into the sink with a bang and grabbed the counter for balance.

Blayne noticed and rushed to my side. "What's wrong? Ava, are you okay?"

My eyes were closed as I tried to get my equilibrium back. My skin tingled like it was on fire. I shook my head. "Uh…I don't feel good. Something isn't right."

As quickly as it hit me, the dizziness vanished. I opened my eyes in relief and looked up at Blayne. His eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and then he grinned so wide that I thought his face would crack.

"What?" I asked.

Without a word, he grabbed my hand and walked me over to a mirror that hung above the dining room table. I stared in disbelief at my reflection. My eyes were the pale shimmery yellow of a panther's eyes. I'd seen Liam and Blayne's eyes do the same thing before.

I blinked to make sure it was real. It was still there.

Blayne's face looked deliriously excited. He pulled me toward the back door. "Come on, come on. Outside."

Following him outside, I breathed a sigh of relief. The coolness of the night air on my skin eased the hot, itchy feeling.

Blayne led me to the edge of the forest. Putting his hands on each of my cheeks, he looked me in the eyes. "You need to open your mind. Reach down deep. Find your panther. She's there, I know it. Once you find her, open your body to her and ask her to take over. Once you fully trust her and she trusts you, she'll come out, and you can shift."

I nodded, but about a million butterflies raged in my stomach.

Blayne took a few steps back, bouncing on his toes. He looked like a little boy who'd woken on Christmas morning and was getting ready to go downstairs and see what Santa had brought.

Doing what he asked, I closed my eyes and tried to dive deep into my mind. All I was doing was standing in the yard, looking like I was meditating or something. I probably looked silly.

Right before I gave up and opened my eyes, I sensed…something. Another presence. A shadowy flicker so deep I thought I'd imagined it. I clenched my eyes tight, focusing hard. It was right there, like a word on the tip of my tongue.

All at once, it happened. It was as if I could actually hear the padding sound of paws sprinting up a long dark hallway toward me. A mind similar, but still very different from my own was blooming inside my consciousness. Again, that wave of dizziness overwhelmed me. Inside my mind, I was suddenly looking into the beautiful golden eyes of a black panther.

In less than a blink of the eye, our minds met and bonded. It was like she'd always been there, like a long-lost friend had come home.

When I opened my eyes again, I was on all fours. My skin was covered in thick, soft fur. The sounds, smells, and sights of the world were more intense, vivid, and detailed than ever before.

Looking up at Blayne, I saw his look of excitement had turned into one of awe. Tears shimmered in his eyes and his smile twitched as he fought off the urge to sob in joy.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, and then he shifted.

He bolted into the woods, looking over his shoulder at me, beckoning me to join. I sprinted after him. We ran for miles, zig-zagging through the forest and leaping over creeks, climbing trees, bounding between boulders, and racing across clearings.

Nothing had ever been this exhilarating. It was like I was truly alive for the very first time.

We returned to the yard hours later and collapsed onto the cool grass in our human forms. I laid my head on his chest, both of us panting for breath and covered in a sheen of sweat.

"It feels like a dream," Blayne said, running a hand gently up my back.

"What do you mean?"

"I…I'd always believe my pack would die with me. I was the end." He looked down at me. "But now? We can have a family. My family can live on. If we have children, a little piece of my parents will pass down to my children. It'll be like they aren't totally gone. Does that make sense?"

Nodding, I said, "It does. Is that your way of saying you do want kids?"

He grinned. "How many cubs do you want?"

I giggled even as I kissed him. "As many as my body can handle. How about that?"

He kissed me again, and we made love on the grass under the light of the moon. Everything was right in the world. I'd never been so happy or exhilarated.

We fell asleep in each other's arms under the warm summer night sky. As I drifted off to sleep, I had no doubt that it was one of the best days I'd ever lived.